Shuyin's Demise: First Ending
by Nickmeister
Summary: The tragic story that takes place before the events of FFX2. Shuyin and Lenne's first ending over 1000 years ago in Zanarkand.


Disclaimer: I do not own Square-Enix or any of it's characters. This story does not contain spoilers and simply explains the story of Shuyin and Lenne before FFX-2

This is my first fanfic, please help me out here by reviewing this and giving me your thoughts. You may notice that it is not EXACTLY how the story is explained in FFX-2 but this is the way I saw this incredible, tragic story in my head. Enjoy!

**Shuyin's Demise: First Ending**

Shuyin... 6ft, wavy blonde hair, well toned body. He kept the fans coming back week after week; after all, he was the star player of the Zanarkand Abes. But the fans had no chance with him, he was in love with a star with a fan following to rival his own. Lenne was what the people of Zanarkand called a songstress. The way you and me look at it, she was a singer and a dancer, and a damn fine one at that. They were a match made in heaven; each loved the other with an iron will. Nothing could separate these two, nothing at all. Today was a big day for the whole of Zanarkand, for two reasons: They were going to war and the Blitzball Final was taking place. Those two reasons pretty much cancelled each other out. Blitzball finals were the biggest things in Zanarkand; everybody loves them and goes to the stadium to cheer for their favourite team. Everybody, and I mean everybody, loves Blitzball. On the other hand, War. Nobody likes war; they bring death, doom and destruction to people and their lives. The leaders of the country just to the south, Bevelle, were determined expansionists and needed more land. And there was no finer land in the world than Zanarkand. Also, Zanarkand had no army as such, they were a peaceful country who didn't even dream of going to war, there could be no easier target for the experienced military of Bevelle. Almost everyone skilled with a weapon in Zanarkand was sent to war. Only those with special skills were left behind. Shuyin and Lenne were among those not required to fight, although Zanarkand would need everyone it could to fight, they were fighting a losing battle before they even began. Shuyin wanted to fight; he was more skilled than anyone in Zanarkand with a sword in his hand. His strength and agility were unrivalled in the whole of Zanarkand. Lenne was extremely skilled also; she was skilled in the use of white magic and summoning. They both wanted to fight, but they both agreed not to fight. Neither wanted to endanger the other's life, without each other they were nothing. But Lenne received frequent calls asking for her assistance in the fight against Bevelle. However many calls she received, Shuyin would not allow her to go. They loved their country and would gladly die for it, but no one could lose the other. Life continued as usual for Shuyin and Lenne despite the war. Zanarkand was holding up well but Bevelle had the upper hand. This prompted the country to take more serious action in recruitment. Scouts were sent to Lenne while Shuyin was away at Blitzball training; she eventually gave in and agreed to go to the frontlines. She left a note for him when he returned:

_Shuyin, I'm writing this letter to you because the situation has changed considerably today in the war. Bevelle will overrun our beloved country if I do nothing. The feeling of responsibility has become too much now. I can't think, I can't sleep, and I can't live a coward any longer. You know, our time together has been the best of my life. You're always there, with that look on your face, as if you're never hurt, as if you're never down. I wish I could sing to you one last time, but time is something that our country doesn't have anymore. But there's one thing I never told you in our time together, those three magic words, I've always wanted to say them, but I could never find the right time. I wish I had said it now. But if God exists and we are really destined to be together, we will see each other again, and we will be together forever in peace. One last thing…promise me you won't come after me._

_Love Lenne XxX_

It was midnight. Shuyin came home from training. This was the day Shuyin went mad. His mind collapsed at the thought of losing his loved one, and now he had lost her. As soon as he walked through the door he sensed something wasn't right. Seeing the letter to him in her handwriting confirmed his bad feelings. He knew what it was instantly. She had left it on the table where he would usually put his feet after a hard day's training. And just as she intended, he got the letter. But upon seeing the letter, he did something she didn't plan. He threw the letter away without even looking at it. There was only one thing on his mind, getting her back no matter what it took. If she had been taken to the deepest end of hell then he would march through hell, defeating anyone who dared challenge him. He grabbed his sword and left the house for what may be the last time.

First stop: the military base in Zanarkand. They'd taken her, he was sure of it. They'd know where she was. Unluckily for them, they didn't know where she was. Almost as soon as she arrived on the battlefield she was taken prisoner and was presumed dead. Now Shuyin was mad, there was no sane part of his mind left. What did he want now? Without her he was nothing, he always said that. And with nothing he had no goal in life anymore. No reason to live. But why should he die? Did he deserve to die? He always considered suicide to be the cowards' way out. And he certainly wasn't a coward. There was only one thing left to do. If he couldn't destroy himself then he would destroy everything else. This world was going to suffer for what it did to him. And there, in that room, his story of blood, hatred and misery began. First thing: kill everyone in the room. This was as easy as it would get for him. None of the computer nerds in this entire building could match him. Their blood spilled across the walls gave him a certain satisfaction that he thought he would never feel again. Each and every scream of the helpless men in their last breaths drove him on to kill the next. No one would live through this day. Her last known whereabouts was in the temple of St. Bevelle. This was his next stop.

St. Bevelle wasn't too far to walk. He could get there in a day or two. Nothing was going to stop him from getting there. Not the stray soldiers on the road, not the fiends. The road out of Zanarkand was easy, not much blood to spill. Only the guards who tried to stop him from leaving because, "The war has made the road dangerous". The only danger was Shuyin. He was a danger to the world itself now…if only he could find a way to purge Spira of its very existence. Spira, the spiral of death was about to receive it's own death. The next part of the journey was the hardest part, Gagazet. Sacred Mountain Gagazet, home to the Ronso tribe and some of the most dangerous fiends in the whole of Spira. No one could stop him now, he was hell bent on getting back the one thing he lived for, or destroying everything that ever lived.

Gagazet took its toll after some time on the mountain. The snow and bitter cold made the battles tougher. His joints were becoming frozen and his blows becoming weaker, the fiends weren't falling so easily anymore. But his journey couldn't end here. He had so much to do yet. So many reasons to live, yet so many reasons for wanting to die. He spotted a cave nearby that could shelter him for the night; it looked like a damn good option. So he took the chance and made for the cave. It made for fine shelter; he soon warmed back up to a reasonable level. Here he had a chance to think about that he was doing. Was it just a suicide mission? Could he make it? Why was he really going to save Lenne? The latter was the worst of the questions that arose in his head. He hated himself for even thinking such a question. The answer was clear. He wanted to see her again, to spend the rest of their days together. He loved her, but he'd never told her that. That was another reason for wanting to see her. So he could tell her those three magical words. Sitting in the cave thinking…one might think this might change his perception on things and make him see the mistakes in his mind…but nothing was going to change this man's mind. With that he immediately got up and out of the cave and set off down the other side of the mountain. The hardest part was over, now it was just half a day's walk to Bevelle. Though walking through the main gates of Bevelle temple was suicide. So he would take a detour through Macalania forest, the ever-icy, ever-fading forest.

The icy road and ever-presence of multi-coloured butterflies made the journey through Macalania forest a pleasant one. But Shuyin didn't like pleasant anymore. He couldn't feel pleasant anymore, not without her. It was a short journey through the forest into Bevelle. Immigrants frequently snuck past the guards on the path into Bevelle, Shuyin was in no mood for sneaking. Both guards fell with two powerful swings of the Caladbolg. He felt no mercy slaughtering the people of Bevelle. They would feel the terror of Zanarkand while he was around. It was night; he could sneak straight into the temple under the cover of darkness. He hated sneaking, but to raise alarm in the middle of Bevelle was suicide. He would not be caught, he swore an oath to Yevon that he would rescue Lenne, and he wasn't going to fail…not this time. He still felt the strain from having let her come here in the first place. He had failed her, it wouldn't happen again, never again.

The Temple of St. Bevelle. Not quite the sight it usually was. War had meant all the priests and soldiers had to leave the temple and join the battle. The place was empty. This meant they had taken her deeper. People often told tales of the secrets held under the Temple of St. Bevelle. Machines that could destroy the world, fiends that could wreak havoc if ever released, labyrinths full of gold and treasures. Though these stories were fakes, everyone knew that. The only people that told them were old lunatics who claimed to have seen such spectacles. Sure enough, once Shuyin approached the elevator that usually took the user up a few floors to the Temple heights, he found that there was something secret about this elevator. It went into the depths of the temple too. Someone had been here recently and forgotten to hide the secret mechanism, Shuyin was in luck.

Into the depths he went. As soon as the elevator stopped at the underground level, Shuyin found a challenge waiting for him, an executor. Executors were feared across the world. Rarely seen they were. Horribly deformed men wearing masks to hide their horrible features. They were much larger than normal men too, carrying weapons that most could not hope to lift with 10 men.

"Lookin for sumthin?" the executor proclaimed in his deep, faulty sounding voice.

Shuyin didn't reply, he suddenly remembered that he hadn't spoken since demanding to know where Lenne was back in Zanarkand.

"Well I've got it right here!" boomed the executor who simultaneously smashed his huge axe into the ground, making it shake for a few seconds.Shuyin's eyes were locked onto the executors the whole time. He didn't move a muscle, take a breath, or blink an eye. He meant business. And he wasn't going to lose now. He was so close to redemption. His roaring rampage of revenge could end soon. What followed was a battle of epic proportions, but there be only one victor.

The victor stood over his fallen victim who was breathing heavily now, blood-splattered and dying. Finally his lips had to move again. "Where's Lenne!" Shuyin screamed in the face of the executor.

The executor could hardly breathe now and was about to die any second. But he still had enough energy for two more words. The words that condemned Shuyin to the ultimate defeat…

"T-t-t…too…late…" and with that his huge body stopped moving, all life ceasing."You're lying!" Shuyin once again drew his sword and pummelled the head of the dead executioner. Blood poured out onto the sword, it splattered onto Shuyin, and it drenched the body of the fallen. He continued to pummel in his violent rage until the head disconnected from the body. But it did not split at the neck, just between the nose and the mouth. With that, Shuyin walked away further into the depths of the temple. He didn't know where he was going, he didn't care. He had no home now, not now she was gone.

He wandered for two whole days in his possessed state; he passed labyrinths of gold, and huge fiends until he finally came to what he was looking for. The stories were true. It did exist. The machine that could end his misery, by ending the world itself. The infernal colossus, Vegnagun. It stood at over 200 feet tall, far larger than anything the world had ever seen. Now he was here, there was no turning back. The world would end here and now.

He climbed into the control area at the top of what one would deem its head. Not like other machines of destruction this one. No buttons, no gauges or meters. Just keys that play melodies, like a piano or keyboard. Vegnagun had emotions of its own. The piano could determine how it acted. Luckily, Shuyin had a basic knowledge of keyboards and could play basic melodies that one could easily define with a mood. So he sat and he played the keys. For another 2 whole days he sat and played. Beginning with slow, sad melodies, Shuyin had gained the trust of Vegnagun. They shared feelings now. So now was the time to end it all. He didn't stop to think of what he was about to end. He just wanted to end it, right now.

He began to play faster now. The melodies reflected his angry, maddened state. The colossus began to shake; its main weapon was getting ready for its first, and last use. Another hour ticked by and the area below the head was glowing bright blue now. The cannon was charged and ready to fire. Ready to end everything, the world, himself, and all his memories.

He felt a tear slip down his face as he continued to play.

"No more tears" he said to himself, the last words he would ever say. His journey had come to an end. All he wanted to do now is die. That was the only cure for his sadness. Losing your loved one…the ultimate loss. No one else could feel his pain. No one could even begin to understand his pain. He fought for her but he still lost her. He was ready to go to hell and back for her but he still lost her. He would have given his life for hers, and now he was. But the thing was, he couldn't save her now. He was so angry…at what? At himself? At her? Well…one thing was for sure. The world was going to pay for it, with its ending. This was his ending. And it wasn't a happy one.

Against his will more tears began to flood down his face. He couldn't fight them back anymore so he let them come. He began to think about what he was doing here. Did he really need to end the world? He thought about his friends back in Zanarkand, the cheering fans at the stadium, the children playing with their own blitzballs. But most of all, he thought about Lenne. All he wanted was to spend the rest of his life with her. Was that too much to ask! What had come between them? The war. He could end all wars here and now. The thought made him angry once again. But the feeling of his own tears sliding down his face quashed his anger. Did he really have the willpower to end all life? He thought on that one for a few minutes.

"You must stop" a soothing voice he could hear in his head. It was her voice. The voice he loved to hear. He wanted to hear it again. Her voice could sooth his angry heart, cure his madness, and end his rampage. But she wasn't there to do that. She was dead. She couldn't be there anymore. That was the final thought, now he would do what he came to do. No more waiting, no more thinking…no more loving…no more living.

"Please Shuyin, you must stop!" her voice again. But this time he wasn't going to stop. It was just his mind playing tricks on him. He was sure of that.

"Shuyin!" this time the voice seemed more real. From the corner of his eye he could see a light blue figure below Vegnagun. The beautiful figure he could never forget. Was it really her, or another trick? His tear-filled eyes couldn't see properly, she was a blurry figure. He wiped his eyes, clearing his tears. His heart lifted suddenly. She wasn't dead. She was here, now. He jumped out of his chair and ran down to her. At the bottom she stood with open arms. He ran into them, without saying a word. He clutched her close, feeling the intense warmth he had grown to love. This was why he was here. No more killing, it was over now. They held each other, savouring every moment.

The sound of many footsteps entering the chamber disturbed them. She had been followed. It was a trap. There they were, dead end, no way out now. It was a Bevelle firing squad. They would shoot, kill, go home no questions asked. Shuyin silently cursed his luck, though it had taken him this far, surely there was more to come. But not this time, there was no luck to be had here. The firing squad took their positions, 9 men all carrying guns lined up and took aim at the doomed couple.

Shuyin turned away from them, conceding defeat, and faced the one person he wanted to see before he died. He looked into her deep brown eyes, still holding her close. She returned the look. Both were speechless. Yet both wanted to say the words they hadn't done through their time together. A tear rolled down her cheek. He tried to muster a smile; she returned a weak smile of her own, the smile that he loved to see. The sound of firing… the feeling of bullets piercing his skin. He was falling. He reopened his eyes to see her in front of him. Her eyes weren't open. Now she was dead. He couldn't save her. The brief feeling of success he had when she appeared was now gone once again. A final tear fell down from his face onto the cold stone floor…his journey was over now.


End file.
